Waldorf Inspired Care

Foundations of the philosophy 

Our philosophy is based on Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical picture of child development. We also take inspiration from the work of Emmi Pikler, Sophia's hearth, and the New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki, which weaves throughout our philosophy. 

“Receive the children with reverence, educate them in love, send them forth in freedom.” – Rudolf Steiner.

The founding aspiration of Te Whāriki, our curriculum document, inspires our philosophy and our practice as it states, for children “to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.4).

Our philosophy has three core strands:

• Rhythm & routine: enable the children to anticipate what will happen each day, making them feel comfortable, empowered and secure.

• Senses: support the child’s developing senses by providing an environment that is calm, comfortable and warm. This allows the child uninterrupted time to freely explore.

• Nourishment: food is spiritual nourishment; we create rituals around preparing and eating food that form healthy reciprocal relationships with the world.

Our beginning

Aurora Tamariki began in September 2016 and is an Early Childhood Education (ECE) provider licenced for 30 children. We offer healthy high ratios of educators to children, with under 30 children on our role. On average, we have around 20 or so families. With organic gardens, great climbing trees, and a natural space for children to learn and grow, we are conveniently located at 351 Pine Hill Road, Dunedin, New Zealand (visits by appointment only).

At Aurora Tamariki, we create an environment where the children feel safe and secure, their senses protected, nourished and they feel a sense of belonging. We are governed by an independent non-profit community trust, The Southern Stars Waldorf Trust. We offer holistic care in a home environment, and are open 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Thursday & 8:30-3 pm, Friday Find out more about our space or enrolling at Aurora Tamariki.

The Southern Stars Waldorf Trust

The Southern Stars Waldorf Trust is a not-for-profit charitable trust which is the governing body of Aurora Tamariki. We encourage parents to participate in the centre activities offered throughout the year, as we aim to be a supportive community hub. If you are interested in becoming a trust member please email for more information. 

Meet our Educators

As teachers at Aurora Tamariki, our practice is informed by the pedagogical beliefs of Rudolf Steiner and Emmi Pikler. We are inspired by Awhina Anthroposophical Day Nursery and the work of Bernadette Raichle. We use reflection as a tool to marry our practice with our pedagogical beliefs.